Dear Editor,

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation, when homes and livelihoods were lost, lives were disrupted, and countless Jamaicans cried out to God for mercy, it is disheartening to see how quickly our nation has returned to business as usual.

In fact, the recent announcement and celebration of Carnival 2026, complete with media launches, costumes, and “Olympix” fanfare, reveal a troubling pattern in our spiritual condition.

During the storm, people prayed. They begged God to spare their families, their homes, and their communities. But now that the skies are clear, those same voices have turned back to revelry, parties, and the very lifestyles that ignore the God they called upon for protection. It is as if God is treated like a friend with benefits — needed only in times of trouble, but dismissed when He calls for obedience, holiness, and repentance.

Since the passing of Melissa, Jamaica has witnessed a flood of events: non-stop parties, soca promos, dancehall line-ups, secular concerts, and now a full-throttle push toward Carnival 2026. Yet few seem to be asking the urgent spiritual question: What is God saying to us through all of this? How many warning signs must He send before we recognize that the world is trembling, and our nation is not exempt?

The Bible consistently warns against the types of revelry, drunkenness, and sensual indulgence that  Carnivals are built upon. Ephesians 5:11 tells us, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Galatians 5:19-21 lists the “works of the flesh” – including lasciviousness, revellings, and drunkenness, and warns that “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. Romans 13:13 instructs us to “walk…not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust”.

Carnival, by its very nature, celebrates the opposite of the holy living God calls His people to embrace. Its costumes, conduct, and culture stand in stark contrast to the teachings of scripture.

In moments like these, Jesus Himself warns us about the signs of the times. Luke 21:25-28 declares that there will be “distress of nations”, “the sea and the waves roaring,”, and people’s hearts failing them for fear. But it also calls us to action: “When these things begin to come to pass…lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.”

This is not the hour for Jamaica to dive deeper into the world’s distractions. This is the hour to repent, to return to God, to seek His face, to humble ourselves before the One who spared this nation from far worse, and to stop numbing our conscience with entertainment and recognise that God is calling us to righteousness. As granny would say, “Chicken merry, hawk deh near!”

We cannot continue to ask God to protect us during the storms while wilfully dancing into sin afterwards. Jamaica must heed the warnings, not silence them with soca, rum, feathers, and fanfare.

I, therefore, urge our nation, leaders, churches, communities, and individuals not to ignore the spiritual message hidden within these recent events. Let us repent, return to God, and prepare our hearts, for, indeed, our redemption draweth nigh.

Pastor Jermaine Johnson

Senior Pastor

Moneague District of Seventh-day Adventist Churches

jermainefjohnson@gmail.com